A number of devices have been developed for transporting boardsport equipment such as cases and vehicle racks. These devices are often limited on the number of boards that can be easily and safely carried at a single time and usually stack the equipment one on top of the other which can cause damage. To resolve this problem, carrying cases have been designed that can carry two boards separated by a layer of fabric preventing direct contact between the boards thereby reducing the potential for damage, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,344. These types of cases can be used in conjunction with vehicle racks to reduce potential damage during long distance transport.
Other devices are designed for mounting on walls to store boardsport equipment in closets and garages. However, with single mounting brackets like those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,135, the user must mount two brackets for each board. This process, along with aligning the brackets can make this device difficult to set-up. Other devices solve this problem by providing multiple hangers in a single unit. While these systems are well suited for seasonal storage of boards they are stationary and are not easily transported.
Another device has been developed that solves the problem of transporting multiple boards simultaneously. The device is an A-frame structure having multiple horizontal hangers for boards on one or both sides of the frame with casters that allow the frame to be easily manipulated on flat hard surfaces, see t-rax.com on the worldwide web. However, these A-frame racks are large, heavy and cannot be easily transported or used on soft surfaces such as sand.
Single board free-standing racks are another type of storage device that maintain the boards in a vertical orientation almost anywhere in the home, see Outlaw Surfin rack from surfshop.com. However, these racks can only support a single board and are designed for flat solid surfaces. Other free-standing racks provide multiple slots for maintaining boards in a vertical orientation for closets and garages, see epicsurfracks.com on the worldwide web. These racks are made of sturdy heavy weight materials, generally used for seasonal storage and not easily transportable.
None of the devices described above can be easily and safely used on site, such as a beach, to store multiple pieces of equipment prior to use in an upright orientation that helps to prevent damage from laying or stacking the equipment on the sand. While many racks are known that may be used for seasonal storage of equipment, these racks are usually large, cumbersome and not easily transported.
Consequently, there is a need in the boardsport industry for a device that is easily transported and set up on site to maintain boardsport equipment in an upright position before and during use.